“Little is known” about using LNPs to deliver mRNA

A paper published on November 10, 2015 by future nobel prize nominees Drew Weissman and Katalin Kariko et al, they stated that “little is known” about the potential of using Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver mRNA.

They proceeded to demonstrate that a pseudouridine-modified mRNA that codes for the luminescent enzyme, luciferase, when encapsulated in LNPs and delivered via various routes into mice, it does enter cells and successfully translate the mRNA code into the luciferase protein. They showed it can last up to 10 days and moves into the liver, where there it translates for 1-4 days.

Natural (non-modified) mRNAs breakdown fast.  The use of the LNPs protects this modified mRNA en-route to the cells and allows the entry of the mRNA into the cells where the code can be translated by the cells machinery.  But do you want every cell making the protein, and what are the consequences of the mRNA hanging around for up to 10 days (in this study)? [1]